


Happy Halloween, Tom

by NeuroWriter14



Series: NW14 Does Halloween [16]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Do not repost, Jump in time at the end, M/M, Trick or Treating, at the beginning anyway, they're children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27125212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeuroWriter14/pseuds/NeuroWriter14
Summary: Tom has never been trick or treating before.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Series: NW14 Does Halloween [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946689
Comments: 19
Kudos: 179





	Happy Halloween, Tom

**Author's Note:**

  * For [duplicity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/duplicity/gifts).



> For [Amanda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/duplicity/pseuds/duplicity)

"You've never been trick or treating!" Harry exclaimed loudly at lunch. The dull roar of the lunch hall quieted down for a moment before voices began to increase once again, ignoring Harry's rather loud outburst. He and Tom were sitting together at lunch, the two of them exchanging bits and pieces of their meal. Harry's lunches were always homemade, his mom sending him with a fresh meal every morning. Tom's lunches, however, were provided by the school.

Harry couldn't remember a time without Tom his, albeit short, life. He was five when he and Tom met, the other boy incredibly calm and cunning even at the same age. His dark eyes would dart everywhere, wary of everything. Harry wondered if the other boy was even the same age as him. The others who lived in the same orphanage as Tom avoided him, even those who were the same age. But Harry wasn't having it. He marched up to the other boy on the first day of school and stuck his hand out.

"I'm Harry," He grinned. 

"Tom." The other boy answered quietly. 

At first, it seemed Tom was only by Harry's side because Harry was the only one who was never terrified by his dark gaze or the calm, older attitude the other seemed to elude. But that was two years ago, and Tom still hadn't left his side. They had gone through two grades with each other, always luckily finding themselves in the same class. Harry spent all day with Tom during school, even inviting the boy over after school so he didn't have to return to the orphanage. Tom practically lived at his house after Harry's initial march up to him those two years ago. 

"Shh," The other admonished, something flickering in his dark eyes. 

Harry's body shrunk in on itself as he tried to make himself quieter. "But trick or treating is so much fun!" He tried to quietly exclaim.

"It's not that big of a deal, Harry." Tom tried to sound older than he was, as though he saw the idea of trick or treating as a child's task, and he was above it. But Harry could see through him. 

"Do you have a costume?" He asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"No," The other answered quietly. 

Harry wasn't having it. 

He was practically bouncing out of his seat as he waited for the day to end. Every other second, his eyes turned to the clock to watch the time slowly tick by. He had a plan or as much of a plan as he could form. And all he had to do was ask. 

Harry's parents loved Tom. At first, like most other adults, they found young Tom Riddle unnerving. But Tom was never anywhere as nearly unnerving when it came to Harry. It was as though he was constantly striving to prove himself better in everyone's eyes. Except Harry's. Tom was always a much easier going person in Harry's presence, as though he were truly embracing the fact that he was a child. After a few months, Harry's parents began to accept Tom as well. 

He marched home that day after school, determined that his friend would finally have the Halloween he deserved. His mother greeted him when he entered the house a wide smile on her face. 

"Where's Dad?" Harry asked as he gripped his mother's hand, begging to haul her through the house. 

"He's in his office, Harry." His mother answered. 

Harry let go of her hand once they entered the kitchen and he walked into his father's office. His father turned and looked at him as he entered, grinning from ear to ear. Harry was often told by his uncles how much he looked like his father, except his eyes. He had his mother's eyes. He could see himself in his father now. They shared the same wide grin and both were equally determined when they wanted something.

Harry grabbed his father's hand, tugging him along after him. 

"Well hello to you too, Harry." His father chuckled. "How was school?"

His parents shared a look when Harry finally managed to corral them into the same room. He did his best to look determined, to make certain his parents took this as seriously as he did. 

"Tom's never been trick or treating." He said. "I want to bring him with us this year." 

His mother was the first to react to his declaration. "We'll talk to the matron." She answered, his emerald eyes sparkling with an emotion he didn't quite understand yet. "Does he have a costume?"

"No," Harry shook his head. 

"That's all right. We'll figure something out." 

"You know, Harry," His father said, leaning forward slightly. "All you had to do was ask." 

He grinned from ear to ear.

Two days later, he was dragging Tom behind him as they ran from door to door. James and Lily tailed them, keeping an eye on them as they bounced from house to house. Tom's costume was makeshift, turning the other boy into a wizard with a rather tall hat. Tom protested the costume initially but went along with it. Harry thought it was because it was he who asked. Tom still tried to seem more mature around his parents, but he went along willingly as Harry moved from door to door, a small yet joy-filled smile on his face. Harry was dressed as a zombie, which he knew meant he should be moving slower, but he was too excited.

It wasn't even the candy that excited him. It was the fact that Tom was with him. The other shuffled in his makeshift robe, smiling when Harry turned to him and prodded him to raise his bag.

"Trick or treat!" They said in unison. 

Whoever answered the door would grin at the two of them, dishing out candy before Harry gave a rather excited 'thank you' and dragged Tom with him back to where his parents stood. They repeated this over and over as the sun began to dip in the sky. Other families were out around them and Harry could see the flow of costumes and flashlights illuminating small parts of the sidewalk as they continued forward. He waved at his other friend Ron, who was surrounded by his brothers on all sides with his little sister trailing them. 

Harry peeked into his candy back, looking at the loot he had accumulated over the night. Then, he looked over at Tom's. 

The other boy had significantly less candy than him. Tom didn't seem to notice. Harry's face fell slightly as he looked up into the other's dark gaze.

"What's wrong, Harry?" The other asked. "Have I done something wrong?"

Harry shook his head, keeping his anger to himself at the way the other was constantly treated by adults. "No."

He wrapped his arm around Tom's shoulder, propelling them forward once again. He would sneak Tom some more candy later. 

"Don't get too far ahead!" James called, not far behind them.

"We won't!"

He pulled Tom up to the door of another house. 

"Trick or treat!"

* * *

**Several Years Later**

"Delphini!" Harry called. 

"Yes?" She called back, spinning in front of the mirror. Harry was leaning against the door frame of her bathroom as she looked at her princess costume over and over. Tom had done an excellent job with her hair, pulling her dark curls back and weaving it around the crown.

"Come eat," He said softly. "Your grandparents will be over any minute."

"But if I eat, it will spoil the candy!" She whined, turning back to Harry. 

"Listen to your father," Tom called from elsewhere within the house. 

She huffed and jumped down off the stool she currently stood on. He followed their daughter into the kitchen as Tom set down a sandwich which vanished quickly. Harry could have sworn she unhinged her jaw to swallow it whole. 

He leaned against the counter next to Tom who was currently sipping a cup of tea.

"Do you remember the first time we went trick or treating?" He asked softly.

"I remember," Tom answered, looking over at him, his gaze soft. "You slipped me some of your candy?"

"You knew?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Tom wrapped an arm around his waist. 

"I guess I knew even then that I wanted to share everything with you."

Tom chuckled at that. "I should have known." He leaned forward pressing a soft kiss against Harry's forehead. "You have quite the sweet tooth." Harry grinned. "Happy Halloween, Harry."

"Happy Halloween, Tom."

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come yell at me on [Tumblr](https://neurowriter14.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/NWriter14)


End file.
